Board of Directors 2014-2015

The Board of Directors is elected for two-year terms by members at the Annual General Meeting. The volunteer board members represent the varied size and nature of member titles as well as the country's different geographical regions.

Director Biographies

Michael J. Fox is the Publisher and CEO of Garden Making, a quarterly published by Inspiring Media Inc. in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In 2012 he retired from Rogers Publishing, where he had been Senior Vice President, Circulation & Development. He has been involved in circulation for more than 30 years, including 10 years leading consumer marketing at Rogers. He has helped foster the introduction of new channels of sale for magazine circulation, including championing the development of what is now Magazine Canada’s annual co-operative direct marketing subscription campaign. He is a director of Magazines Canada and serves on the Public Affairs and Postal Committees. Michael was the Circulation Management Association of Canada’s Magazine Marketer of the Year in 2002 and was named Magazines Canada Volunteer of the Year in 2005.

Patty Baxter is the Publisher at Metro Guide Publishing and has been with the company for 20 years. Patty manages a staff of 17 full-time employees as well as many contract and freelance writers, designers and photographers across Atlantic Canada. She oversees and coordinates the production of 20 advertising-driven magazines from start to finish. Patty has a Bachelor of Commerce degree as well as an MBA from Dalhousie University (with a major in management and a minor in marketing). She has served on the board of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission and is a present member of SKAL (an international tourism group). She is a founding member of the Atlantic Magazine Association and past co-chair and Secretary. Patty is the past President of the Canadian Progress Club, Halifax Cornwallis. She was named Volunteer of the Year for Kids Help Phone for her work on the Designer Showcase project and was also Volunteer of the Year for her commitment to the Atlantic Magazine Association. Patty is currently chairing the Dine By Design East event, a showcase of interior décor, cuisine and creativity to benefit design education at NSCAD University in memory of a friend who passed away from cancer this past year.

Lucie Dumas is the Vice-President Content and Group Publisher of TVA Publications overseeing more than 40 magazines in the Quebecor Media group. Her portfolio includes some of the leading brands in Quebec: Clin d'oeil, 7Jours, La Semaine, MOI&Cie and CHEZ SOI. She has over 20 years on the agency side as the head of major accounts such as L'Oréal Paris, MasterCard Canada, RBC, Fidelity Investments and Maybelline New York. She also teaches at University of Montreal. She joined the magazine industry in 2010.

Robert Goyette is Editor-in-Chief of Reader’s Digest/Sélection Canada. He started as a reporter at the daily Montreal Star. He is a former Editorial Director of L’Actualité. He moved to Sélection in 1994 as Senior Staff Editor and was appointed Editor-in-Chief in 1999. In 2000, he was appointed Vice President of Reader’s Digest Magazines Canada and in 2009, he was named VP, Book Editorial and Editor-in-Chief, Magazines. Since 2001, he has been Chair of the Reader’s Digest Foundation of Canada, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of journalism education in Canada. Robert is still the current Chair of Magazines du Québec. He was a director of the NMAFs, and currently sits on the board of Magazines Canada.

Niel Hiscox is President of Universus Media Group Inc., a business-to-business and custom publisher based in Markham, Ontario. He is the former vice president of CLB Media Inc., publisher of more than 25 different publications. He is the founding publisher of Green Business, Energy Management Canada, Canadian Auto Dealer, Affaires automobiles, Transport Routier and Highwaystar magazines. He is the former president of the Automotive/Aviation division of Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. Niel is also a past and founding member of KPMG’s Digital Strategies practice, a management consulting practice providing internet strategy and advisement to senior business leaders in Canada and internationally. His industry involvement includes being Executive Committee member and Board member of BPA Worldwide, Board member of Magazines Canada, and former Board member of the Canadian Business Press. He is also advisory committee member for Georgian College’s Advertising and Marketing program.

Scott Jamieson is group publisher and editorial director at Annex Business Media. Jamieson has been involved in B2B publishing for more than 20 years, originally with Southam BIG in Montreal, then as a partner in a Quebec-based forestry publishing company, and then, for the past nine years, at Annex Business Media, Canada’s largest privately-held B2B media company. He has been involved in the launch of two successful magazines, the most recent being Canadian Biomass, and he is actively involved in Annex’s expansion into non-traditional revenue streams, including sponsored microsites, marketing services, events, training, contests, custom publishing and more.

Mark Jamison is the Chief Executive Officer of Magazines Canada, responsible for all of the association’s operational activity. He joined the organization in 1999. An association executive for over 25 years, Mark has held senior positions in cultural, business, education and community not-for-profit organizations. He serves as a director on the Boards of Access Copyright, the Book and Periodical Council and the Canadian Copyright Institute. He is also a Co-Chair member of the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Magazine Industry Advisory Committee.

Ruth Kelly is president and CEO of Venture Publishing Inc. and the publisher and editor-in-chief of the award-winning Alberta Venture and Alberta Oilmagazines. Venture Publishing’s custom publishing division also produces magazines for a variety of clients including Finning Canada, Alberta Cancer Foundation, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Merit Contractors, Alberta Health Services, United Way of Capital Region and Petroleum Services Association of Canada, among others. Kelly has served on a variety of boards, including Magazines Canada and Alberta Magazine Publishers Association. On the occasion of Venture Publishing’s 15th anniversary, the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association awarded Kelly with an Achievement in Publishing Award. In 2013, Kelly received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her contributions to Canada. In the same year, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs awarded her with their Celebration of Entrepreneurial Achievement recognition.

Douglas Knight is President of St. Joseph Media, publisher of Toronto Life, Fashion and several more of Canada’s leading magazines and web properties. Doug is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics, and is the former Publisher and CEO of both The Financial Post and Toronto Sun. He was also the founding chair and CEO of ImpreMedia, LLC, the largest Spanish-language newspaper company in the United States. Doug has served on the boards of public and private companies in Canada and the U.S., along with numerous arts, industry and community organizations. He is Chair of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation and a director of Writer’s Trust of Canada.

Steve Maich is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Rogers Publishing Ltd., overseeing Canada's largest collection of consumer and business publications, including Maclean's, Chatelaine, Hello! Canada, and The Medical Post. Prior to taking over as head of Rogers Publishing in 2013, he worked for eight years as a magazine editor and writer, earning several awards for his work. He served as Executive Editor of Maclean's, Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Business, and Founding Editor/Publisher of Sportsnet magazine, which launched in 2011. He has also worked as a writer for The National Post, Bloomberg News and the Halifax Chronicle-Herald.

Ryan Sargent is Director, Business and Legal Affairs for Toronto-based House & Home Media. House & Home Media holdings include Canadian House & Home, Maison & Demeure, houseandhome.com, maisonetdemeure.com and House & Home Online TV. Ryan has over fifteen years' experience in media development, production and distribution, including television, print, online and mobile content. Prior to joining House & Home Media in 2004, he worked in Montreal on acclaimed English and French-language children's film and television productions.

Jennifer Schmidt-Rempel started her career as a freelance/contract writer/photographer for the Lethbridge living group of publicationsin 1997, and has since worked in the writing, editing, and publishing industry (both web- and print-based) for a number of groups including the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Arts and Science, Faculty of Management, and Communications Department; Alberta Employment; Service Canada; Kick Creative Group Inc.; and Lethbridge College. Jenn moved into the position of Publisher and Editor of Lethbridge living and its associated publications in January 2007. She has served on the AMPA board since 2009, and has been board president for the past three years. She’s also on the board of directors for Lethbridge’s Allied Arts Council; and is a member of Team Lethbridge, a group of community leaders interested in raising awareness of how the city of Lethbridge contributes to the province and how it can work with government representatives to support long-term success for Alberta. Jenn serves on the Canadian Home Builders’ Association–Lethbridge Region’s New Homes: A Buyer’s Guide for Lethbridge & Area, Parade of Homes, and membership committees; the Home and Garden committee for Lethbridge’s Exhibition Park; and the Communication Arts advisory committee in the School of Media and Design at Lethbridge College.

Jennifer Varkonyi is the publisher of the arts and culture quarterly Maisonneuve, a position she has held since 2008. Under her management, the magazine has won three silver medals and seven gold medals, including Magazine of the Year, at the National Magazine Awards. Varkonyi holds a degree in English Literature from Concordia University. Originally from Saskatoon, she lives in Montreal with her husband and two children.

Lisa Whittington-Hill is Publisher of This Magazine. She also works as a circulation and marketing consultant for small magazines and consults in the area of fundraising as part of Magazines Canada’s Travelling Consultants Program. She serves on the board of Magazines Canada and is Chair of its Consumer Marketing Committee. She also serves on the board of the National Magazine Awards.

Grant Young has been in the publishing business for 23 years. He is owner of Downhome Publishing Inc. the publisher of Downhome Magazine, Atlantic Canada’s largest paid circulation magazine. From its head office in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the company employs over 40 employees and has expanded into website development/hosting, book publishing, retail, mail order, product development and product distribution. Grant also owns Auk Island Winery located in Twillingate, Newfoundland